Broken Sleep
by Sophie Masse
Summary: Commander Nina Shepard has a nightmare and her favorite turian is there to make it all better. Oneshot. Romance. Rated M for what goes on under the covers.


**Bioware owns all. Rated M. If you are looking for light, fluffy, romantic FemShep & Garrus, then this will probably be your cup of tea. This is light on plot but heavy on the romance and banter. I was going for sweet and sexy. As of 04-24-12, I updated, adding more description, fixing some punctuation, and giving our beloved Garrus a few more lines. Thank you for reading.  
**

"_Hold on, Garrus." Shepard clasped his right talon with both of her hands. She was vaguely aware of Jacob and Miranda behind her. Maybe if she had been just a little bit faster, her best friend wouldn't have been lying there in a pool of blue blood. The air was heavy with the acrid scent of smoke and gunfire. Garrus looked at her but his eyes were unfocused and glazed. His blood was everywhere. Pure panic replaced the heart-pounding heat of adrenaline. __"Stay with me," she choked quietly._

_But he didn't._

_His eyes closed and his body began to convulse violently. She knew he was gone the moment the light fled from his eyes, just a moment before they grew dark and the tremors stopped. This couldn't be happening. Only a few moments ago they had been fighting side by side, like always. Just like old times.  
_

"_I'm sorry, Commander." Jacob bowed his head and his hand brushed her shoulder._

"_No, no, no, no, no," someone repeated over and over. Shepard realized it was her._

* * *

Nina Shepard jolted up out of bed. There were beads of sweat lining her temples. Her heart raced. Her breaths came rapidly and in shallow bursts. She felt that no matter how deeply she breathed, she couldn't take enough air into her lungs. She hadn't told anyone about the nightmares but they kept coming, usually on a nightly basis. But this one was worse than the others. This one felt so real. She couldn't think about anything else except the desperate need to know that Garrus was okay. She reached for her omni-tool and pinged him.

He didn't answer right away. When he did, his voice was heavy with sleep. "Vakarian here."

"Garrus—I—," she didn't know what to say. _I had a bad dream? I need you?_ "I just wanted to hear your voice," she said tentatively. _At least it's the truth_, she thought. "I'm sorry I woke you up. Go back to sleep."

Garrus didn't like the way she sounded. The shaky, uncharacteristic urgency in her voice had him up and out of bed immediately.

"Shepard, I'm coming up." He sounded wide awake now. He was out the door and racing down the corridor toward the elevator. He was grateful that it was right there, grateful that the hallways were empty. He needed to get to her as soon as possible.

"No—don't. I'm all right. Garrus? Garrus? Dammit."

_Stupid nightmare. _She pulled a matching silk robe on over her nightgown and was grateful for once that she had decided to splurge on a little feminine sleepwear. An old t-shirt was her usual and unfussy bedtime attire. She had intended to surprise Garrus one of these nights with her silky new nightgown but work had kept piling up. She had a momentary regret that he was going to get to see it now when she wasn't feeling her best. When her door pinged, she got up and pushed the panel button to open it.

She was so glad to see him it almost hurt. He looked very handsome and so comfortingly familiar in his black pajamas with the Normandy logo. And, of course, he wore that dammed visor. But the visor couldn't conceal the worry that was etched over his face. What she really wanted to do was to just sink into his arms and confess how terrified she was about the war. But she wouldn't do that.

"I couldn't sleep," she told him. Her voice was unnaturally hollow. She definitely didn't sound like herself. "I thought maybe you'd be up and might want some company, too. I'm fine, Garrus."

Garrus studied her quietly. He didn't like the lack of color in her cheeks. He could see both sadness and anxiety in her olive green eyes, although to her credit she tried valiantly to cover these things up with a resolute bravado. She wasn't doing a very good job but then he had always been able to read her. He was her best friend, after all, before he had also become her lover. His visor told him that her heart rate and pulse were elevated. But he didn't need technical readouts to be able to tell that she was upset.

Garrus shook his head emphatically. "I'm not buying what you're selling, Shepard."

In three quick strides, he pulled her into his arms. She was stiff and resistant. Her body was a column of tension. Undaunted, he held onto her unyielding body anyway. He used the blunt edges of his talons to caress her back.

"You know, Nina," he told her, his voice brimming with warmth-quiet and husky, "one of the perks of being your boyfriend is that I get to comfort you when you're upset. I came all the way up here in the middle of the night _in my pajamas_. The least you can do is humor me and make me feel all heroic and masculine—you know for _my_ sake."

"I don't know if I'd call comforting me a perk," she answered. Her voice was muffled, her face pressed against his chest. Garrus could feel her heart beating—so fast. He rocked her back and forth, very gently, arms encircling her waist. He rested his chin against the top of her head. He waited.

"Ohhhh, the rocking's good. Keep the rocking," she murmured.

He breathed in the scent of her, his nose and mouth buried in the soft hair at the top of her head. Cherry blossoms.

"Spill," he ordered. "I'm not letting you go until you do."

"And that's supposed to be an incentive to make me talk?" she teased. "All right...all right...I had a nightmare," she admitted, finally. "I was dreaming about you—"

"Not exactly boosting my ego here, Nina."

Despite herself, she emitted a fleeting chuckle but her brow furrowed when she spoke, "I dreamed about the night you got shot by Tarak's gunship, that night we fought the Blue Suns. It was so vivid. You died in the dream. The light just flickered out of your eyes. There was nothing I could do to save you. I felt so...helpless." She trembled as she recalled the dream, keeping her face averted. She was embarrassed and didn't want him to see how visibly upset she was.

"Nina, look at me." He cupped her chin and tilted her face upwards, his eyes meeting hers. "I'm right here. I'm safe. I'm not going anywhere." He grinned. "Not even if you try to push me out the door. You're stuck with me tonight."

"I feel so stupid, dragging you in here in the middle of the night," she confessed. "I feel vulnerable. And I don't do vulnerable. I hate feeling like this. There's so much at stake, Garrus. What if I'm going about this all wrong?"

"What's that expression you humans use? Oh yes—you're human, Shepard. Dreams can be very, very real. And even without the nightmare, we both know that in reality we _are_ walking into hell. You've got a staggering amount of pressure on you. I think maybe, just maybe, you should give yourself a break. You don't have to have it together all the time you know. I promise-I won't tell." Garrus paused. "You're an amazing woman. There's nobody in the galaxy I'd rather have heading this thing than you. Feeling concerned for the safety of the people that you care about doesn't make you weak." He felt her begin to relax, just a little. He was glad that she didn't pull away, glad that she allowed him to hold her. "I propose that you put yourself completely in my hands and let me take care of you tonight. I always have a plan."

She tilted her head to the side. "A plan, hmmm? I'm listening." She wasn't smiling yet but he could see the smile in her eyes. He could feel her tension continuing to ebb away. Her breathing began to slow down and her heart rate was returning to normal.

"Well, let's see. You have options. The first one is that we break out some of those old monster movie vids that we both love, eat copious amounts of junk food, and then I kick your ass at some _Call to Arms: Empire at War_."

"I won last time we played that, Garrus," she reminded him smugly.

"By one round. And you cheated, Shepard."

"It's a video game! You can't cheat!"

"You intentionally used your body to distract me, showing a complete lack of scruples …..and a lot of cleavage," he added under his breath.

"It was warm in here; I was hot," she defended herself.

"Suuuuuure. Taking off your hoodie and playing in that deliciously enticing little tank top cooled you off and improved your concentration, Right."

"Utter lies and slander. I'm a model of decorum," she answered. But she was laughing now. "So what are my other options?"

"Well, if you're tired and you want to get back to sleep, I'll crawl into bed with you and keep you warm while you rest. We'll sleep, we'll spoon, and I'll do my best to be a gentleman. No promises." He nuzzled her cheek affectionately.

"And if I'm not tired?" She inched her fingertips along the back of his neck and he felt an unmistakable twinge of pleasure radiate from the press of her maddeningly deft fingers on his skin. The exquisite feeling started at his neck and went all the way down to his groin. He barely suppressed a groan.

"Well, then there's the famous age-old, sure-fire nightmare remedy that was cleverly invented by yours truly."

"You've piqued my interest, Garrus."

"It's a multi-step process but it's a guaranteed cure." He curled a wispy wave of auburn hair around a talon.

"I'm still listening," she smiled at him.

"You have to let a turian undress you. And, being the generous and altruistic turian that I am—and also because I just happen to be here—and you know—may as well help…..I'll volunteer. Purely for the sake of expediency and utility. Of course, that is only the um—first phase of the process."

"What's the second phase?"

"After that, it gets pretty intricate." He brought his face very close to hers and when he spoke again, his voice was even deeper than usual. " I'd have to show you. It would require a hands-on demonstration," he paused. His voice changed to a more serious tone, "All teasing aside, Nina, I'm here for you tonight." He touched his forehead to hers, an affectionate gesture that was completely theirs, an intimate way of connecting with her-their private little way of expressing love without a single syllable. "In whatever capacity you need. We can just cuddle up on your couch and talk." He stroked her hair. "Whatever it is you need," he repeated. "I'm completely at your disposal."

Shepard wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on the tips of her toes, hugging him fiercely. "I love you so much, Garrus. I'm a very lucky woman." She planted little kisses along his jaw line, moving her lips to his mouth. "And I'll tell you what." She pressed her body up against his with a provocative little wiggle of her hips. Her next words were delectably low and sultry. "I'm_ not_ tired."

Garrus leaned into her, his body tingling from her kisses.

"Spirits, I was hoping you'd say that," he grinned.

"Do you want something to drink, Garrus?" Shepard offered. "I have some dextro-amino stuff with your name on it."

Garrus slid his talons from the tops of her shoulders down over her arms, moving to her rib cage and then down around her waist. He slid them over her hips and then to the back, giving her bottom a little squeeze. He brought his mouth to her right earlobe, his breath very warm on her skin.

"I don't want anything do drink, Nina, thank you. I have everything I want right here. Let's just get you over to that bed."

"Interesting. So besides being disrobed by a turian, this is also going to involve the bed?" she asked with wide-eyed, mock innocence.

Garrus surveyed the room. "The bed." He pressed his mouth behind her earlobe. "The desk." He nuzzled a path down the elegant slope of her neck. "The shower." He kissed her throat. "The couch." He flicked the tip of his tongue over the little indentation at her collarbone. "Up against the aquarium…you know, for good measure and for bragging rights."

Shepard tipped her head back. Her speech was slow and slightly slurred with the beginning of arousal. "If we do all that, Garrus, I won't be able to walk for a week," she protested.

"But….. _you'll be smilin_g," he promised.

Shepard laughed. It was a warm, throaty sound that made her shoulders shake. It was good to hear her laugh like that. She didn't do it often enough these days. He would do everything in his power to remedy that. Garrus began retracing his mouth upward in the same path that he had made to her collarbone, only this time he interspersed his kisses with light flicks of his tongue. He knew that she was very sensitive along her neck and behind her ear. He was definitely not above taking advantage of this knowledge. He was proud of the fact that, over time, he had gotten to know all about her body and its responses. His mouth was suddenly back at her earlobe and this time he nibbled, eliciting a definite shiver from the pretty redhead in his arms.

As Garrus' mouth made another slow trail along her neck, his talons found the silky sash of her robe. It was easily undone. He slipped it off of her. The nightgown underneath was a short cream colored silk that skimmed her body. It both revealed and concealed the enticing curves, her shape outlined in silhouette through the gauzy fabric.

Shepard watched his reaction as he looked at her. "I'd hoped you might like it," she offered softly.

"Oh, I like it. And I love the woman wearing it."

"Flatterer."

Garrus glided his talons over her breasts, his touch feather light. He liked the feel of the silk. But more than that—he liked the feel of _her_. If he hadn't been touching her, he wouldn't have felt her silent, sharp intake of breath—so subtle it was almost imperceptible. He slid her panties down past shapely thighs and legs. This time, her sharp inhale was audible and unmistakable. He took off his own pajama top but left on his pants—for now. Finally, he pulled Shepard's nightgown up over her head and tossed it lightly over a chair.

Garrus took her hand and guided her to the bed, laying her flat on her back, her head on a pillow. He took off his visor and put it on the end table beside the bed. He leaned over her body and kissed her neck, moving his mouth down between her breasts. He flicked his tongue over the left nipple and then the right and watched them form two little peaks. He squeezed her breasts, using just the right amount of pressure to elicit another moan from her softly parted lips. Her body hummed and buzzed beneath his attentive ministrations.

"Warm enough?" he asked her, stroking her cheek.

"Very….warm," she chuckled, her voice breathy. She smiled at him. "I think you know exactly how warm I am, Vakarian," she added. She gave the waistband of his pants two playful, impatient little tugs.

Garrus caught her wrist gently. "Not yet."

He kissed and licked his way down to her stomach, slowly and deliberately. Her breathing was shallow and the little sighs that she emitted in between each rapid breath were driving him quietly crazy. But he continued to kiss and lick and touch and explore her. His tongue made contact with the soft flesh of her inner thighs and she took a deep, sharp breath—her body giving a quick little jolt.

Garrus parted her thighs, dipped into her soft folds and swept his tongue leisurely over the length of her sex. Shepard whimpered in response, her hands reaching to run her fingertips along his neck and shoulders. "Garrus…" He wanted this for her, to give her a little piece of oblivion, to share these moments with her that no one could take away and that they would never have again. He wanted her to forget troublesome dreams and the looming cloud of war, to gift her with a few moments of passion and pleasure in his eager arms.

He continued to lick and tease her in slow, lazy circles. At one point, he felt her body give a series of telltale shudders, moan after moan escaping her lips. He increased the intensity of his efforts, bringing her through the the crest of the wave, and then slowing down, but never completely stopping the contact. Carefully, slowly, he re-ignited the spark and she could feel the pleasure and the want and the desire beginning to build up again. Her hips gave the tiniest of movements.

She didn't have to ask. He knew exactly what she wanted. Garrus wasted no time in shedding the rest of his clothing. "I'm so hard, I can barely see straight," he whispered seductively in her ear, his voice low and rumbling. "You are so utterly beautiful." With that, he gave her neck a gentle nip and eased into her, letting out a long, baritone groan.

He let her dictate the pace, matching his own rhythm to the needs of her body. They looked at one another while he moved inside her, talons caressing her cheeks, soft fingertips lovingly brushing the side of his face and the outline of his jaw. She kissed him hard. A moment later, she threw her head back, panting, her lips parting. The sultry sound of her crying out drove him to thrust harder. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her. She emitted an intoxicating litany of raw, pleasure-filled sounds that he found intensely erotic. Her inner muscles tightened and clenched around him as her body erupted into little tremors. It was too much. It was exactly right. Garrus found his release a moment after hers and he came with a ragged moan, his mouth pressed softly against her neck.

When it was over, human and turian lay in one another's arms, basking in the still burning embers of the aftershocks. She ran her hands over his chest. He threaded her silky red hair through his talons, both quiet. Both sated.

"I've been thinking about something, Garrus," Shepard said quietly. "I'd like you to have the code for my room. No obligation. But I want you to know that you are welcome any time to come and go as you please. I like my bed so much better when you're in it. Whether we use if just for sleeping..." She gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. "Or for other activities. Either way, I just like having you here."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he murmured against her mouth. "Even if you do snore like a drunk krogan."

Thwack! Shepard pelted him in the head with a pillow.

"I don't snore," she protested. "_You_ steal all the blankets."

"Ah, but there's a good reason for that. It's just an underhanded way for me to encourage you to cuddle up against me for warmth." He managed to deftly dodge a second pillow attack. "How are you feeling?" he asked her in a more serious tone.

She smiled. "I'm feeling pretty damned good, thanks to you." she answered.

"That's what I like to hear."

"Garrus?"

"Hmmmm?"

Shepard propped her chin up on his chest and looked right into his eyes with a mischievous little smile. "How about that shower?"

"Oh, I'm definitely _up_ for it."


End file.
